


It Must be the Herb

by bergamotmandarin



Category: Mumintroll | Moomins Series - Tove Jansson
Genre: Other, Weed, first fic be nice to me :), nonbinary Snufkin, started out as just them smoking and then it turned into lots of fluff, yeah okay i finally did it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-21
Updated: 2020-10-21
Packaged: 2021-03-08 22:28:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,668
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27133868
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bergamotmandarin/pseuds/bergamotmandarin
Summary: “Oh Snufkin, you always have the best secrets!”Snufkin grabbed the brim of their hat and tilted it over their face. “Oh Moomin, if only you knew.”Snufkin has something to show Moomin! He's in for a real surprise.
Relationships: Mumintrollet | Moomintroll/Snusmumriken | Snufkin
Comments: 4
Kudos: 34





	It Must be the Herb

It was early spring in Moominvalley. The birds were singing their sweet songs and all the little creatures were enjoying the newfound sunshine. The Moominhouse was particularly quiet today. It was that kind of day that hung around your shoulders like a blanket, beckoning you back into bed. The Moomin family was still trying to adjust to being awake after a long hibernation, and after the initial business of the new season was over they always found some occasion to nap the day away.  
Moominmamma was napping in her chair by the stove, an abandoned knitting project laying in her lap as she slept. Little My was curled up in the knitting basket amongst the yarn and scrap fabric, fast asleep and unusually content looking. Upstairs, Moominpappa was “working” on his memoirs, but really he was snoozing in that way that pappas do, with the newspaper on his face and still grumbling quietly to himself in his sleep. Sniff was curled away in his room, a plate of what once was sweets sat empty on his nightstand, and he was snoring with sprinkles and glaze still on his paws.  
Now, up in his room in the quietest of Moominhouses, Moomintroll was cozy in his bed with the blankets up to his snout. He was reading a book of adventure and excitement, but even that couldn’t keep his eyelids from fluttering shut. But, just as he was about to drift to sleep listening to the sounds of birdsong coming in through his open window, his ears caught another sound. One short whistle and two long ones- often means “I have something to show you!”  
“Oh my,” Moomintroll thought “it’s Snufkin! I am so tired, but I must go see what they have to show me!” And with that he threw the blankets off of himself and jumped up out of bed. He immediately shivered, and so he threw on a cardigan that mamma had made him. “Blue, one of Snufkin’s favorite colors.” He shook his head at that thought, and headed down the rope ladder as quietly as he could, so as to not wake the whole house.  
“Why, hello Moomintroll!” Snufkin whispered, “Would you like to see a secret?”  
“Secrets!” Moomin whisper-shouted, “What kind of secrets?”  
Snufkin grinned in that particular way of theirs when they knew they had something big to show you, “Well, you’ll have to find out when we get there!”  
“Alright then, lead the way!” Moomin crouched down low to the ground. “We must be quiet, like super spies! We cannot let the rest of the house know about our secret!”  
Snufkin quietly laughed, and crouched down as well. They snuck through the lawn and to the garden, hiding behind the fence posts as they made their way. Every so often one would give a hand signal that the coast was clear, and they would both rush to the next hiding place. It was all great fun, and eventually they made it to the bridge, hopefully undetected.  
“So, Snufkin,” Moomin finally said at a normal volume when they were far enough away from the house, “what is this secret of yours all about?”  
“Well, if I told you now, it wouldn’t be a very fun secret now would it?” At the disappointed look on Moomin’s face, Snufkin added- “But… I will say that it is something I have brought back from my travels south, just for us!”  
With that Moomin brightened, and he grabbed at Snufkin’s paws and spun them around in a big happy twirl. Moomin loved things that Snufkin brought back to Moominvalley, and especially things just for the two of them!  
“Oh Snufkin, you always have the best secrets!”  
Snufkin grabbed the brim of their hat and tilted it over their face. “Oh Moomin, if only you knew.”  
“Always so dramatic, Mr. Mystery!”  
“Oh please, Mr. Mystery is my father! Besides, can I even be a mister? I suppose a snufkin can be anything if they want to!”  
Moomin laughed, and Snufkin led on through the forest. They dodged fallen logs and brambles, skipped over new spring mud spots, and chatted with the tree spirits who were beckoning them to play a game with them. They had no time for games today, they told them, we are off after secrets! Snufkin led a winding, determinate path, and eventually they came to a small clearing by a stream. There was a gnarled, old tree with a hollow near the bottom, and great big rocks to sit on.  
“Oh Snufkin, this is beautiful! We should have brought a picnic, we could have spent all day here!”  
“Easy now, Moomin. The area isn’t even the surprise. Come closer here.” Snufkin gestured for Moomin to look inside the hollow of the old tree.  
Inside, Moomin could make out a few seashells, a yellow feather, two pearls, and a jar filled with some kind of green plant. Moomin gazed at the treasures in the hollow, and Snufkin smiled wide as they reached in and grabbed the jar. They pulled from somewhere in their coat a pack of cigarette papers and their pipe. They walked over to the rocks and layed out their supplies, and then took their hat off and carefully set it down on another rock.  
“Wow, Snufkin! What is that stuff? Do you smoke it?” Moomin sat down on one of the rocks and peered over at Snufkin who was crushing the green herb with their paws.  
“Yes, you do! I actually used to smoke it quite frequently, but I haven’t been able to get a hold of any in quite some time. A mymble I met in the far south introduced me to this herb, and I have been in love ever since.”  
“Love? Must be some kind of smoke! I can smell it from here, what an interesting plant!”  
Snufkin handed him one of the little green buds. “Here, smell it closer. Every different kind of this plant has a different smell.”  
Moomin took a sniff. Citrus, he thought. Maybe a little pine? It smelled nice, It kind of smelled like Snufkin. He pushed that away.  
“That is quite interesting!” Moomin said as he handed the bud back to Snufkin. Snufkin crumbled that one up as well, and then they closed up the jar again. They had evidently crumbled enough herb, as they packed their pipe full and capped it and then began rolling a cigarette out of the stuff.  
“Snufkin, I thought you disliked cigarettes?” Moomin wondered, as he watched Snufkin quickly roll up the herb in a perfect twist, and licked it to seal it together.  
“I usually do, but I have found that this is the best way to enjoy the herb without the taste of my pipe muddying it all up. I call it a rollie, but others have more… crass names for it. Also, no cigarette filter to ruin the taste! Only the best for my Moomin!” Snufkin handed the jar to Moomin and he leaned to put it in the tree. Moomin dwelled on the words ‘my moomin’ a little too long as he carefully set Snufkin’s jar back in the treasure hollow. Before he could even turn back around Snufkin had lit up the herb cigarette with their old, trusty flint lighter, and they were taking long drags off of it to keep it lit.  
“This herb,” Snufkin said with the smoke curling out of their mouth and clouding around them, “Is the greatest relaxer. It brings peace to the restless, and it reveals beauty where you previously thought there was none.” They exhaled fully, and Moomin was enveloped in a perplexing smelling cloud. That certainly smelled like Snufkin. Snufkin when he first was getting to know them, all mystery and mischief and smoke smell. Moomin knew he must try this herb.  
“Oh Snufkin, ever the poet! You know I’m not one for smoking, but if you love it so then it must be worth it.” Snufkin handed the rollie to Moomin, who took a long careless drag off of it like he had seen Snufkin do. He immediately started coughing his lungs out.  
“Easy, Moomin!” Snufkin patted Moomin’s back as he coughed. “Lighter hits, let the smoke fill you up and then let it gently make its way out.”  
“Okay.” Cough. “Then.” Cough. “I’ll try that!” Cough. Moomin looked at the rollie, and back at Snufkin. Snufkin gave a nod, and Moomin readied himself to try again. He brought it up to his mouth, holding it downward so as not to burn his snout, and gently puffed. He did as Snufkin said, he let the smoke fill him up and make his chest all warm. He held it, then let it out slowly. It billowed out, and surrounded Moomin’s snout, filling his nose with the scent. He was trapped in it, and he didn’t want to escape. He took another few hits, just for that warmth and sweet smell to surround him again. It was like the smell of Snufkin’s coat, concentrated into smoke. It smelled comfortable. Moomin handed the rollie back to Snufkin, who smiled and hit it themself.  
“Wow.” Moomin sat back on his rock with his paws behind him.  
“I know, right! I knew you would love it. Just wait, it gets better.” Snufkin grinned as Moomin gave them a confused look.  
“Better? It gets better than this?”  
“Oh yes, after this rollie is done we will sit here and soon you will feel a wonderful feeling.”  
Moomin was in awe. “I know you said this herb relaxes, I thought it was like tobacco? You never mentioned it was magic!”  
Snufkin chuckled, “I suppose you could call it magic! I have always thought that the seeds first fell from the heavens, and when you smoke the flowers your mind flies off into the clouds.” Snufkin passed the rollie back to Moomin.  
“Well now I can’t wait!” Moomin started to take bigger hits now, and totally only barely coughed when he exhaled. “If it’s as magic as you say, then we might have to smoke another!”  
“Oh, silly Moomintroll,” Snufkin put both their legs up on the rock to sit criss cross and motioned for Moomin to hand them the rollie, “Let’s see how you feel after this one!”  
And so they passed the rollie back and forth until it was so small that it hurt to smoke it. Snufkin put it out and buried it in the dirt, and then they sat and waited. Moomin had already felt a little weird, but he didn’t want to say anything. They sat in comfortable silence for a while, and Moomin was just staring around him at the wonders of the forest. He turned to tell Snufkin something, but stopped when he noticed them staring intently at a bird weaving its nest in a plum tree across the stream. Snufkin was so laser focused, they didn’t even appear to notice that Moomin had moved at all. Moomin couldn’t seem to look away from Snufkin. Their amber hair shone in the sunlight streaming down through the trees, and their face looked so content. Moomin hadn’t seen Snufkin this relaxed in a while, they looked so… lovely.  
Moomin’s face heated up. He definitely must be feeling the herb’s effect now. He was sure this must be it. He had a fuzzy feeling in his head, his chest kind of hurt when he breathed, and his snout was kind of numb, but it all felt good. And looking at Snufkin… felt good right now. Snufkin made him feel good. He realized that, inhibitions taking a break right now from the herb’s effect, and that sudden realization hit him like a train. He had never thought so openly about it before, never let himself, but this time it was all that was on his mind. Looking there, at his childhood friend that he had always wanted to be something more, he suddenly felt a sudden determination in his heart. It must be the herb, it must be. He reached out a paw, slowly, and tapped Snufkin on their shoulder.  
“Hm?” Snufkin turned around, Moomin kept his paw on their shoulder. “What is it, Moomin?”  
“Snufkin, first of all I want to say thank you. This has been a wonderful secret, and I’m glad you’ve decided to share it with me. But…” Moomin looked down, trailing off.  
Snufkin immediately went into panic mode. “But?” They said, trying to sound calm. They faced Moomin fully, an unusual amount of emotion on their face, and put a paw on Moomin’s that was slowly slipping off their shoulder.  
“Sorry, sorry, got trapped in my head there for a second! It must be the herb.” Moomin laughed half heartedly, and then looked at Snufkin in their beautifully dark eyes. “I have a secret of my own I would like to share with you, Snufkin.”  
Snufkin’s heartbeat increased. This can’t be happening right now, it’s not. This herb must be magic, and Snufkin must be asleep and dreaming because this couldn’t possibly be actually happening to them. “Well, uhm, carry on then.” Snufkin couldn’t stop looking at Moomin’s eyes, as their gazes were locked together.  
“Well, Snufkin, I have known you for a very long time now, and I must say that you have become so much more remarkable as the days went by. You are my dearest friend, but lately I have begun to hope for something… more?”  
Snufkin sucked in a sharp breath, and Moomin looked down, breaking the seemingly endless eye contact. His ears folded back, and he immediately looked ashamed of himself. He turned his snout down and looked like he might apologise, but Snufkin raised a hand to stop him.  
“Moomintroll. I… I can honestly say that I have been equally awaiting and dreading this day would come. I have to admit that I am hopelessly attached to you, and it scares me. I certainly want to be more than friends, I just… don’t know if my heart can take it.”  
“Oh, Snufkin!” Moomin grabbed both their paws in his. “I will be careful with your heart, I promise. It’s springtime, Snufkin. It’s the season of new beginnings, won’t you start down this new beginning with me?” He gently squeezed Snufkin’s paws and looked at him with such conviction it made Snufkin’s chest hurt.  
“I can never say no to you, Moomin. Of course I will. I trust you. Nothing about this will be easy, but I trust you.” And with that Moomin let go of his paws and wrapped his arms around Snufkin, sinking into them. He clutched at Snufkin’s coat, feeling the worn fabric. He pulled back, and gazed at Snufkin. His Snufkin, and he was filled with such happiness that he wanted to get up and dance. So he did, and he pulled Snufkin up with him. Snufkin gave a startled laugh, and then just dissolved into laughter as Moomin twirled them around the clearing. Moomin took their hand and raised it above them, spinning them elegantly, and then grabbed them into a dip. Snufkin swooned dramatically and Moomin laughed.  
“This herb must be magic, it’s turned you into a right casanova!”  
“Oh hush! I should drop you.”  
Snufkin grinned. “But you won’t.”  
Moomin lifted Snufkin back into a standing position and took his paw. “Of course not. I’ll never let you go, Snufkin. No matter how far you go, I’ll still hold on to you.”  
“Moomintroll, you’re all I could ever ask for and more.”  
“I try to be,” he leaned in close, “you’re worth it, Snufkin”  
Snufkin leaned forward and pressed his nose to Moomin’s snout. He held it there for just a moment, and then drew back. Moomin’s heart swelled, and he rushed over to the tree and grabbed the jar.  
“What ever are you doing now?”  
“If this herb can make you give me more of those, then we’ll sit here and smoke until dinner!”  
Snufkin laughed. Silly Moomin. His silly Moomin.


End file.
